Runaway Home

Chapter Nine-

Downhill Fast

"C'mon, Padfoot. It's not far now," Remus said encouragingly. He didn't dare call Sirius by his given name, out of pure paranoia. Someone's going to see us... wonder what we're doing here... they'll find out who he is...And what am I supposed to say to Pomfrey? "Please help my dog, he got shot by a farmer and I hadn't the sense to take him to a veterinary clinic"?

He sighed softly to himself and patted the scruff of Sirius' neck. He couldn't turn back now.

Sirius, on the other hand, seemed delighted at the change in scenery. His tail wagged madly and a familiar glint shone in his eyes as he limped slowly along beside Remus.

Remus turned in the direction of the hospital wing, expecting Sirius to follow. But Sirius whined and pulled in the opposite direction.

"No, Pads, this way."

Sirius sniffed the air...

"Come on now, don't-"

...and took off down the corridor.

Remus wanted to scream. He sprinted after Sirius, feeling as if something leaden had just been dropped on his chest.

It wasn't as if Sirius could run very fast, but he had already stopped in front of a heavy wooden door before Remus had caught up to him.

And he'd already barked.

Remus groaned as he realized what door this was; McGonagall's office.

I'll just say he's my dog, and he got away from me... She doesn't know, how could she ever guess that it was Sirius? She couldn't possibly...

The door opened and a young boy in black robes dashed out. He threw his arms around Sirius' neck and giggled as the big black dog licked his face.

"Oh dear..."

Had it been under any other circumstances, Remus would have laughed out loud at the expression on his old professor's face. She had managed to look terrified and yet utterly disgusted at the same time.

She stared at the dog for a moment before turning her attention to Remus.

"H-he's mine, Professor, I'm really very sorry, he got away from me-"

"I know full well who he is, Lupin," she snapped. She seemed to be back in her element, treating him as if he were a student who had scored poorly on a test. "Why in Merlin's name did you bring him here though?"

"He's wounded, Professor... I was hoping Poppy could help."

"So you brought a mad mass-murderer into a school full of innocent children so he be healed?!"

Remus felt himself growing angry. He wasn't a student anymore... she had no right to treat him like one.

"For starters, Minerva, he's innocent and not mad in the least. He delirious, and without prompt medical attention, he could die."

Harry, now with his arms wrapped tightly around Sirius' neck, gave a little whimper at that prospect.

McGonagall angrily opened her mouth to protest.

Remus plowed right on past her. "He also wanted to see Harry and make sure he was safe. And now he has, and the three of us will be on our way to the hospital wing. Goodbye."

He turned and motioned for Harry to follow as he started to stride away.

"I'm coming with you," McGonagall quickly scurried to catch up.

Remus paused for a moment. "...Why?"

"Albus said if I saw you, that I was to keep you with me. And I don't intend to let Black out of my sight," she said in a slightly feral voice. "You may be convinced of his innocence, but I am not."

Remus resisted the urge to growl at her and simply sighed. "Come on then."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Poppy Pomfrey had never seen quite such a group enter her hospital wing.

There was Minerva McGonagall, looking torn between rage and terror, wearing an expression unlike any Pomfrey had ever seen on her face.

After her came a young boy, looking apprehensive and clinging to an enormous, rather bloody, limping dog.

Last was a man she only just recognized as Remus Lupin, who looked aged beyond his years. He was rubbing his eyes wearily.

"Goodness... What's happened?" She looked from face to face, confused even more by their varying expressions.

"Poppy, we-"

"It's my dog, ma'am." Remus ignored the indignant glare he received from McGonagall and continued. "This morning he wandered into my neighbor's field and my neighbor shot him, thinking him a threat. The nearest vet is so far away from my home that I didn't think he'd make it there. I was wondering if perhaps you'd be kind enough to help him?"

He gave her a pleading look. "My youngest cousin, here," Remus gestured to Harry, "is rather attached to him... We'd both be eternally grateful if you could heal him..."

Pomfrey looked over the dog, boy and man with a jaundice eye. Something wasn't right; she could just tell. Woman's intuition, healer's instinct, or some other unknown power was telling her that something was wrong.

But Lupin had never been the sort to lie... why would he now? The boy did seem unusually attached to the dog, clinging to it so. But he looked so familiar...

She squelched her indecision and smiled bracingly. "I'd be happy to help him, Mr. Lupin. Bring him over here, please..." She led the way to the bed at the end of the infirmary and pointed to it. "Can he jump that high? Oh!"

The dog had sprung up onto the bed as soon as she pointed. He yawned and lay down with a grunt.

Shooing the little boy out of her way, Poppy set to work. The animal's dratted fur was in the way, but she didn't know any hair removal charms so she simply worked around it. Remove the shell... heal the bone it'd hit... then the muscle... then the flesh... Dogs weren't all that different from humans, really.

She straightened up and looked down at the pitiful thing. He looked asleep, or maybe dead; he didn't seem to be breathing strongly.

"Servo victus," she murmured, tapping its side with her wand. A thin strip of parchment blossomed from the tip of her wand and she held it up before her to read.

Behind her, Remus had been holding Harry in his lap on the next bed down. His eyes widened in horror as he saw the strip of parchment.

He'd seen the spell before; it told the vital signs of a patient, as well as any sort of wound, sickness, or disorder they suffered from.

It also told their race, age, and full name.